Where the Line Between Right and Wrong Begins to Blur
by Elvenheroine
Summary: In which Juno Evans can't seem to get a break. Startling discoveries are made. Batman/OC/Joker (Contains inappropriate content.)
1. Chapter 1 : How it all began

Sunset comes abruptly, at least for the lone teen sitting under a nearly ancient willow tree. The sagging leaves hide her petite form from any straggler that might've been loitering around; it was already past the legal curfew for underage youths. Not that she'd ever cared for such a fickle thing as the law.

"Ah..," she releases a soft, surprised breath as she realizes the creeping darkness descending upon her already shady spot. She closes her book and places it back in her plain, black backpack, dusting herself off as she moves off of the patch of grass she'd been sitting on since noon. With a nearly inaudible sigh, she pushes aside the hanging leaves and pulls her thick sweater tighter around herself.

"Ah.. shit," she looks around for a moment before pushing the frames of her cherry red glasses farther up on the bridge of her nose. With a dainty sniffle she makes her way to a better lit section of the park, shoving her earphones into her ears. A stream of wailing guitars and gritty vocals filtered into her ears, soothing her nerves.

Gotham wasn't the best place to be in after dark, especially for a young woman like her. Sure, she'd been made to take self-defense classes as a child by her protective adoptive parents, but she knew that most criminals didn't fight with calculated movements, which she could counter with some defense "formula." In short, she was screwed. She stifled a laugh at the thought, clutching her sweater tighter as she sped up her pace.

Just as she began relaxing, the piercing scream of a woman tore through the air and she groaned audibly, freezing in her tracks. Why? Why universe? It just had to be tonight. The woman being assaulted by a burly thug twice her size screamed again for help, finally spotting the teen standing with her backpack clutched in her arms across the street. She shot the youth a pleading look, and the teen swore inwardly.

She could get away; the thug didn't know she was there. Just slip away, it's not your problem, she muttered to herself, muscles tensing as she prepared to run. Her body and her mind didn't seem to be cooperating. Instead of bolting off in the opposite direction like a rational human being, she ran towards the two figures, tackling the bear-like man. She scrambled to her feet while the thug was dazed on the ground, irked to find the woman blinking dumbly at the two.

"Run, you dumb fuck!"

She growled, pushing the blonde out of the ill lit alley and into the sidewalk. Just as she was about to dash away, a large hand shot out and made her trip. She yelped as her face plummeted towards the sidewalk, but she managed to catch herself. Kicking desperately at the thick hand, she cried out as he dragged her back towards himself. Facing the ground, there was little she could do except kick and claw at the ground.

"Heheh, you're gonna regret doin' that, bitch!"

She could already smell the sickening odor of the sewers permeating through the air, his disgustingly hot breath on her lower thigh. Fearing for the worst, she twisted her back painfully to swing her fist at his head. The thug swore and released her ankles for a moment, giving her a chance to scramble away from him and the floor. Adrenaline coursing through her system, she picked up a nearby broken beer bottle and held it in front of her with shaking hands. Nothing she'd learned before could've prepared her for this. The thug got to his feet and gave her a sickly sweet grin.

"Aw.. is the little kitten /scared/? Ya should be!" He roared, lunging at her once more. She closed her eyes instinctively, thrusting the jagged edges of the bottle towards him, but it was all in vain. Her wrist was caught in a strong, gloved grip, and she found herself gazing doe eyed into icy blue orbs. Atop the now unconscious criminal, stood The Batman himself, in all his cape-and-cowl glory. She dropped the bottle, unable to tear her eyes from the steely blue that had potentially saved her very life.

"…is hurt."

She blinked. Was he speaking to her?

"Miss. Your hand is hurt."

Ah, there it was. As if broken from her trance by his gravelly (and oddly comforting) voice, she glanced at her hand to see various shards of glass and other debris embedded in her hands. She'd been so preoccupied with trying to escape that she hadn't even noticed. Shocks of pain ran up her arm as she moved her fingers. He hadn't let go of her wrist yet, but the grip wasn't painful in the least. Batman was unexpectedly warm.

"Th-that.. yes.. thank you," she muttered dumbly, pushing her surprisingly un-cracked glasses up with her free forearm. The dark knight himself hadn't seemed to have noticed that he'd been holding onto her wrist for longer than normal, and dropped it immediately, causing her to wince.

"Where do you live?"

He was surprising himself tonight. What made him feel compelled to help some dumb teenager who'd literally jumped into a fight with a man easily twice her size get home? He felt the need to protect this girl from further harm tonight.

She seemed taken aback herself, swallowing thickly as she wracked her brain for her address. Her mind was still slightly muddled from the scuffle. She made a soft contemplative sound before reciting the address of a cozy home residing in Park Row to the brooding man.

"H-hold on, though!"

She shot him an apologetic look and retrieved her backpack as swiftly as she could with two injured hands. Although he would never show it, Batman was actually amused by the teen's antics. Once she was back at his side, he wrapped a strong arm around her waist and shot the Batclaw off into the air, whisking them both off into the night.

They arrived in record time, and she was slipped into her bedroom easily. What came next was horribly shocking for her. Batman began pulling the shards of glass from her hands.

"O-ow, what are you-"

He silenced her with a stern look and continued cleaning her wounds until her hands rested limply at her sides, bandaged and numb. He really shouldn't have been there at all. He should've left the moment he'd saved her from that common thug. However, Batman – or rather Bruce Wayne, couldn't bring himself to treat her as he would any other civilian. And it was infuriating. He was brought out of his musings by a soft, "thanks.."

"What's your name?"

Any more surprises and she feared she'd have a heart attack. Rewetting her oddly dry tongue, she replied to his unusual question.

"Juno.. It's Juno Evans."

And just like that, the dark knight was gone in no more than a cape swish, undoubtedly off to fight crime once more. In actuality, he wasn't too far from her building, perched atop a vantage point protruding from a church.

"Oracle, look up anything you can find on Juno Evans."

Her allure could've been because of some sort of pheromone. She could be dangerous like Poison Ivy. Or at least, that's what Bruce told himself to justify looking into the enigmatic woman's personal life.

Meanwhile, Juno stood at her open window, startlingly aware of how warm and large Batman's hands had been, and the wetness between her thighs.

( A/N: Alright.. I sort of wrote this on the fly, and it's one in the morning so bear with any mistakes, please. This was just something I've had on my mind so please review if you think it's worth continuing. )


	2. Chapter 2 : I'm just some ordinary girl

It'd been a week since her encounter with the brooding man. Everything had been eerily normal; she was half expecting for there to be at least some change in her monotonous life. Each day was like a routine: wake up, go to class, eat, and sleep. Thankfully, at least she hadn't been harassed.

A loud slap on her desk brought her out of her musings, and back to the reality of her fifth period math class.

"Anything to share with the class, Miss Evans?"

She flushed pink as what seemed like the entire class turned their attention towards her, and shook her head hurriedly.

"N-no, nothing. Continue with the lesson." Juno sighed softly and cursed under her breath. What did it matter to the damn teacher if she was out of it for one day? But the truth was, that lately she hadn't been paying so much attention in class – instead her thoughts mostly settled on the piercing blue of a certain vigilante's eyes. Who was this "Batman?" Why didn't he just fight crime as a cop? She scoffed at the stupid question posed by herself. It was obvious, the justice system in this damn city was rotten to the core.

Soon enough, she grew increasingly annoyed at her instructor's seemingly endless monologue and opted to escape to the restroom. As she stood at the sink, washing her face, a thunderous explosion reverberated throughout the school. She yelped as various chunks of ceiling narrowly missed her supple body, and swiftly dashed out of the restroom in time to hear a shrill, mad laugh.

"Well what do we have here, playing hookie are we?"

Her heart stopped as her eyes snapped to the unmistakable voice of Gotham's very own madman – the self-proclaimed Clown Prince of Crime in the flesh. Her body froze, blood running cold as the lanky man began stepping forward leisurely, his posse of armed, burly thugs following intimidatingly. He hummed a deceivingly cheerful circus tune as he tossed what looked like a home-made detonator between his gloved hands.

"Bad, bad little girl you are! Though, I don't blame you, it's all so boring these days," he released another cackle, pressing the obnoxious red button on the detonator; she recognized the screams of her classmates from just a couple hundred feet away as the classroom she'd been in just minutes before caved in on them. Juno's expression contorted to one of sheer horror, and before she knew it, she was speeding off in the opposite direction. The only thing she could hear was the blood racing in her ears, and that haunting laugh that seemed to be trailing after her even now.

As a matter of fact, it was. After he'd barked out orders to his men, the Joker began indulging in an "exciting" game of cat-and-mouse with the little minx that'd simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. He clicked at his detonator with a shrill laugh. Various more parts of the school fell apart on his whim, as the raven haired beauty eluded him. Alas, her luck had to crumble just like the decrepit building eventually, and she found herself between him, and a dead end after several minutes of chase.

He twirled a knife between his long fingers, smacking his lips together habitually as he nearly danced towards her. For some reason, the way her eyebrows furrowed in fear, and her lips drew into a tight, thin grimace fascinated him. The rapid, frightened rise and fall of her chest excited him; she really was just like a terrified rabbit! He howled with laugher at the thought, drawing himself up to her slender form, that was pressed against the wall in a futile attempt to distance herself from the madman.

"Now, now little rabbit, don't be /scared/! I'm a good man, can't ya see?" He snickered as her fists clenched at her sides. Was this one going to put up a fight after all?

And fight she did. Juno drew her fist back as much as she could in the space she had, bringing it right across the damn clown's face. Her strike caused even him to stumble back a step, before he promptly cackled loudly, snatching her wrist as she attempted to make a dash for it.

"Let me go, motherfucker! God fucking-!"

He tsked loudly, twisting her arm behind her back (drawing another yelp from her) and pulling her up against himself. With the tip of his sharpened pocketknife poking at her neck, the teen gulped, left with no choice but to hush up for now.

"WELL, then. Who knew such a pretty little thing could have such a potty mouth! Maybe we'll have to shut it right. Up."

Finishing with a sinister tone, he brought the glimmering steel up to her mouth, pressing it all the way up to her cheek just hard enough to cut a thin line. The Joker relished her whimper at such a small punishment, intrigued by how sensitive she seemed to be. Just as he was about to make a witty remark on it (perhaps mortify his victim a bit more) a gruff tone interrupted him.

"Let the girl go, Joker."

And that was when Juno Evans found herself wondering just how far both the vigilante, and the clown, would force their way into her life. That is, if she wasn't dead within the next few minutes.

(A/N: So sorry for the delay, I was ecstatic when I read the reviews! Thank you so much. I'm not satisfied with this chapter, but my mind is at a bit of a blank. Reviews and suggestions are welcome!)


	3. Chapter 3: Catch!

With her gaze now fixated on the man whom patrolled Gotham's streets by night, she couldn't help but feel a rush of both relief and anxiety (for more reasons than one). Even though she recognized the gravity of the situation, her stupid hormonal teen body couldn't ignore the foreign feeling of being held so closely. The Joker's arm was curled just under her bust in an iron grip that betrayed his true strength, despite his lanky build. The teen squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment, forcing herself to think past the warm breath fanning out near her ear every few seconds. Her internal struggle went largely unnoticed by either party, though the Joker did feel her stiffen further against him.

"Nice of you to join us Bats, I was just about to teach this little minx here a few manners. Kids these days, am I right?" He cackled, excitement twinkling in his crazed green eyes.

Though that was something an old geezer might say, the Joker managed the words with a sort of sarcastic finesse. Juno didn't know if she should laugh or cry, because he still had that damn knife pressed dangerously close to cutting her previously unmarred visage. Again. She was never a big fan of pain.

The dark knight narrowed his eyes in warning, catching her panicked expression. Usually, he'd be able to handle a hostage situation with cool, almost clinical detachment; yet, as he watched a thin trickle of crimson flow down her cheek, he couldn't find it in himself to remain completely distant. The connection between his mind and body seemed nearly nonexistent for a moment as one of his gloved hands reached back quickly for a batarang. But he was not swift enough.

"A-ta-ta-ta, it'd reaaaally be a shame if you tried that," the madman sing-songed, and another soft whimper escaped the teen as he cut into her delicate flesh once more. Juno bit her lip as she felt the stinging pain at the side of her neck; was the Joker going to slit her throat despite anything Batman might do? She shot the caped crusader another pleading look; this son of a bitch was just crazy enough to do it.

"Well it's been real fun with you Bats, but I've got bigger fish to fry if ya catch my drift. **CATCH**!"

One moment she was pressed securely against the Joker's chest, and the next she felt herself crashing through a window in what felt to be like slow motion. Her pink-tinted lips opened in a silent scream, too shocked to even make a sound as she tried to reach for the black-clad vigilante.

'He's too far,' Juno thought, and her heart skipped a beat as she fell past the third story. Batman was running, launching himself from the shattered window but her frenzied mind could register only the howling wind in her ears. Right as she squeezed her hazel eyes shut for the second time that day, she felt his strong forearm curl around her familiarly. The wind ceased slapping her dark hair against her face violently, and her descent slowed.

The teen held onto the dark knight's neck, breathing out in relief. Somehow her glasses had managed to stay on her face despite everything. As soon as they hit the ground, he released Juno and she did the same, albeit a bit awkwardly.

"I…guess that's two times no- …. Er, right."

He'd hardly spared her a glance before taking off after the Joker, who had presumably escaped during the chaos. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling prickles of pain coming from her right shoulder and most of her back. Ah, that's right. That bastard had shoved her through a fucking **third story window. **Juno took in the scene around her somewhat blearily, still disoriented from what had transpired in the span of a mere 15 minutes.

It seemed like hours before the paramedics cleared her to go home, and the police had finished their questioning. In reality it'd only taken about an hour or so, but her weary body safe needed a place to rest. Namely, her home. Thankfully, she'd been driven home by one of the nicer police officers. He was gracious enough to let her think in silence. Making her way inside, she found it eerily quiet… her parents were probably still out working or something. She'd explain herself tomorrow. Heaving a deep sigh, Juno trudged up to her room and peeled off her light cardigan. The teen's brows furrowed as something fell out of the garment's pocket. She kneeled down to pick it up, finding it to be a single card; a Joker card.

**No.**

She dropped it immediately, stumbling a step back.

"What.. what the hell is this supposed to mean..?!" she whispered furiously to herself, kicking the damn thing under her desk. Was this a game? She didn't **understand.** What did the Joker want from her? More importantly, why were all these strange things happening to **her**? One time, she could live with. Twice seemed a little suspicious to be a coincidence.

Shaking her head, she dismissed the thoughts before upsetting her headache too much and finished undressing. Juno slipped an oversized shirt on, pulling the fluffy comforter over herself once she was in bed. Despite how physically fatigued she felt from the day's events, the teen couldn't get her mind to calm enough for her to sleep. She rolled over, mulling over everything.

She felt ashamed, dirty for even harboring thoughts such as the ones floating through her mind that very moment. Perhaps being pressed flush against the madman's firm chest hadn't been all bad. Recalling the different ways those two men had held her over the past few days had her feeling hot all over again. Juno made a distressed sound, cursing everything for the incredibly sinful thoughts tormenting her mind.

Hours passed before she was finally able to lull herself to sleep, and in her distracted state she never once took notice of the crisp white envelope sitting on her desk.

It was addressed from Wayne Enterprises.

(So that was our heroine's first interaction with the Joker! What do you think? Sorry for the delay, again, I've just started school again so I'm a bit busy. This was actually written up already, but my computer crashed and I had to rewrite everything. Don't forget to review!)


	4. Chapter 4: Not an Ideal Wake Up Call

The first thing she'd noticed upon waking was the absence of her room's subtle, dewy lavender aroma; in its stead was a sort of intoxicatingly musky scent, with hints of what seemed like gunpowder, almost.

…. Had her sheets always been this silky?

Juno's eyes snapped open and she sat up with a start, disoriented by the complete gloominess of the room. She could hardly make out the shape of her hand against the smooth sheets; though that could've been because of the absence of her glasses.

…Where were they? Where **was **she?!

Attempting to pacify her racing heartbeat, she took deep breaths that only seemed to cloud her mind even further. She was surrounded by that powerful scent – she'd smelt it before, but what was it? The teen shook her head hurriedly and clambered into a sitting position, somewhat dismayed (yet relieved) to find herself in what she'd gone to bed with. Tugging the oversized shirt as far as it would go down her thighs, she shuffled about with her arms outstretched trying to find some sort of light switch.

Unfortunately, her arms were a few inches shy of the sofa directly in her path, and she ended up stubbing her toe on one of the stubby wooden legs. She swore loudly, falling onto her bum and kicked the sofa with the ball of her foot in frustration. The tell-tale sound of something clinking onto the floor reached her ears and she quickly shuffled over to the front of the sofa, hoping her captive had been moronic enough to leave a key or something of the like in the room.

Though it wasn't exactly what she'd hoped, the teen was pleased to feel the shape of her favorite cherry red glasses. She slipped them on and continued her search (along the wall now) for the light switch with renewed vigor. Upon finding it, the room was cast in a rather disappointingly dim light, but it was better than complete opacity, she mused.

Juno focused on her surroundings; crude cement floors and even dingier walls. Mold was eating at one of the corners of the roof, and she grimaced at the offending growth. The place obviously hadn't been occupied for long; the fact that the lone window was boarded up sloppily further unsettled her. She heaved a deep sigh and glanced at the door before jiggling the knob. Locked. Figures, but it couldn't have hurt to try. The man (or woman, but she wasn't convinced) hadn't even bothered to tie her up.

A sudden idea struck her as she spotted a dully glinting hair clip a couple steps away. Juno took the tiny object and listened at the door, satisfied to hear that no one seemed to be keeping watch. She hadn't exactly done this before, but it looked easy enough. She'd seen plenty of boys pick locks like this successfully in grade school, so it couldn't possibly be that complicated, right? Smoothing a bit of hair from her face, she squatted down and began her lousy amateur attempt at picking locks. After several moments all she'd managed to do was frustrate herself and break the tip off one part of the hair clip.

Just when it seemed like her efforts had been hopeless after all, the door swung open and she was momentarily thrilled, only to have that trampled over by a sense of cold dread. She was eye level with a long, glimmering chain and purple dress pants. She now remembered the owner of that pungent scent; The Joker.

Juno stumbled back, eyes wide with fright as she scrambled to her feet. She met that man's eyes for the second time, feeling the shocks of adrenaline run up her spine. He released an eerie little giggle, and a whistle.

"My, my so excited to see little ol' me? I'm flattered."

Externally, he'd appeared to have paid no mind to her state of undress. However, as he sauntered toward the seedy little sofa and took his seat, his mind had already taken in the eye-candy. A tantalizing view of her smooth, creamy thighs. The shirt that was far too big, but as she shifted her weight, revealed haunting little glances of her true figure. Unmarred; she was the absolute picture of innocence. Her flushed cheeks and disheveled bed-head, oh he just longed to _corrupt _her. He grinned at her, patting the spot next to himself excitedly.

"Now don't be such a shy little rabbit, c'mere darlin'. I don't bite. Much," he cackled, taunting her with his gaze.

The young woman swallowed thickly, knowing full well that he wanted her to play along with another one of his little games. She hadn't forgotten that the only thing covering her was a flimsy shirt, but fidgeting with it now would only draw his attention to her current flustered state.

"Yeah.. er.. I-I'm very okay right over here, thanks," she managed defiantly, pushing up her glasses as she sat on the edge of the bed directly opposite of the sofa. All the bravado she'd had back at the high school seemed to elude her, and she mentally chastised herself for being such a wuss.

He wiggled an eyebrow at her in mock flirtation, grin intensifying.

"You're a forward woman, I can respect that. Hell, I _**like**_ it!"

The madman flourished his arms dramatically as he spoke, and one of her eyebrows twitched in annoyance. Mass murderer status be damned, she wasn't about to sit by idly as he made verbal swings at her ego. In hindsight, she should've known that he was probably baiting her, but Juno's temper was drawn far too short for her to care. She stood up, drawing an irked breath.

"Listen here, you psychopathic shitbag. I don't know who the hell you think you are, I don't even know what the hell you _want_ with me! Who the fuck just abducts people from their beds while they _sleep_?!... Wait.. how-..how did you know where I live?"

The teen finished on a rather unsettled tone, and instead of fuming at him some more, she found herself increasingly worried for the safety of her adoptive family. This man – this _monster _could've blown up her home, and she'd be none the wiser.

"What did you do to them?" She whispered urgently, face drawn into a pained yet angry expression.

And oh, how he fed off of that look. The truth was that her folks hadn't even been in when he'd sent his men after her. But she didn't need to know that. She was his little puppet, and he the puppeteer pulling just the right strings. He imagined all the heinous deeds he could make her do at the drop of a pin, all for a tiny sliver of hope that he wouldn't burn all she held dear to the ground.

"Hm ~ I _wonder. _See, I just have the most terrible memory I can't. Quite. Remember. And just for the record, sweetheart, I'm not a psychopath, I see the world for what it is! This city, is nothing but a festering sore of optimistic do-gooders. I'm just here to throw a little chaos into the mix, ha!"

She scoffed at his little speech, but inside she was little more than a homesick child. Surely, surely by now he'd have mentioned her family's grisly end if it was truly so? Juno would have to furiously delude herself into believing that for the time being, lest she lose it in front of this maniac. Those people were all she had.

The Joker hummed that tune she'd first heard at the school as he rose from his seat, shoes clicking softly on the concrete as he took his sweet time reaching her. The young woman stood her ground, terrified as she might've been. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. In the confines of this dreary room, it was just them; whether it be against a wall or the plush bed behind her, he had her cornered.

And just when she felt he could shock her no longer, she felt a pair of slightly chapped, warm lips against her own. Little did she know, this was only the beginning.

(Thanks for all reviews everyone! I tried to make this the longest chapter yet to make up for the irregular updates and whatnot. Reviews make me write faster! Did you like their interaction? Suggestions are welcome!)


	5. Chapter 5: Friends

Bruce didn't think much of it when the woman didn't respond to the letter immediately. From what little Barbara had been able to gather, he was able to learn that Juno didn't seem suspicious at all; at least not in a way that would require him to suit up to investigate. She had had run-ins with the police every now and then for meager things like trespassing, or breaking curfew but he'd deemed all of the places she'd wandered into harmless.

She'd been given up for adoption almost as soon as she'd been birthed; he speculated that her mother hadn't had the heart to terminate the child when she found out she was pregnant. Juno seemed to have stayed in the system for nearly 5 years until an older couple took her in. Bruce flipped through the notes Barbara had compiled for him, finding nothing else particularly important in the years leading up to now. She'd mentioned something about a few friends she was frequently seen with as well; Bruce wondered idly if they could be useful sources of information later.

The ringing of a phone interrupted his musings, and he answered to a somber sounding Barbara.

"You might want to switch on the news, Bruce. There's something you might be interested in."

He thanked her and did as she asked, brows furrowing as the news reporter stood in front of a vaguely familiar location. Bruce recognized the place as the strange girl's home, though it looked much different in daylight. He had little time to ponder this as the scene changed and they were inside Juno's bedroom. The police were inspecting what looked to be a Joker card inside a plastic bag; his lips set into a grim line. How did that girl always manage to find the worst kind of trouble?

He switched off the TV as Juno's mother came on, begging the monster who had taken her daughter to bring her back safely. He knew now, what he had to do.

* * *

Aveline bit her nails anxiously; she'd tried calling her best friend Juno so many times, she'd lost count. Text messages and voice mails went unanswered, and it put her more on edge than she already was. If it weren't for Jay (their other best friend), she'd probably be out on the streets looking for her, and inadvertently getting herself into dangerous situations. He was always the most rational of the three, and though she was much better than Juno at keeping her emotions in check, the thought of her friends in any sort of trouble always set her off easily.

"Jay, we **have** to do something, I can't just sit here! She's trapped with that clown freak somewhere, probably being tortured, or killed, or-"

"Shut up for a minute, Lin, I can't think," Jay growled back, equally as frustrated with the situation, but he knew they weren't in a position where they could easily find her and just storm the place. Getting killed wouldn't do Juno any good either. He continued,

"Listen, what can we do that the GPD can't? Besides, if the Joker is involved, Batman's gonna be all over this, alright? That being said... I can't just sit around like you said, so let's go."

He rose to his feet from Aveline's sinfully comfortable couch, wincing as it aggravated his sore muscles. Unlike the brunette, who had ditched school on the day of the explosion because she'd felt ill, he was present and sustained some minor injuries. It was troublesome, but he counted himself lucky. Nothing was broken and he only had a few scrapes, currently covered by gauze, a black long sleeve, and a comfortable pair of jeans. He was fortunate, compared to… to all of the classmates that were crushed underneath the rubble, or killed immediately by the explosion. It's not that he was particularly fond of anyone beyond Aveline and Juno, but being surrounded by the anguished screams of so many people…

Aveline nudged him, concerned by his troubled expression. He shook his head and composed himself, glancing over the beautiful dark-skinned woman's face for a moment with a small smile to reassure her.

"Sorry, I'm fine. Just sore as hell."

She returned the smile belatedly and took his arm, all but dragging him out of the house despite his protests to slow down. Aveline hoped everything would return to normalcy soon.

It wasn't until several hours later that she and Jay found themselves in front of a convenience store, sipping drinks from a nearby vending machine. They'd covered a lot of ground, despite Jay's injuries. Aveline had suggested they split up to cover more, but Jay had refused vehemently. He'd already lost one, and the blonde wasn't about to risk the other.

He was startled as Aveline dropped her drink abruptly, and bolted, practically jumping on some poor raven haired girl, who squawked ungracefully as she nearly lost her balance.

"Oi, Lin, you can't just-!" He was interrupted by the brunette's cries of happiness,

"You idiot! It's Juno! How dare you get kidnapped?! Don't just know how worried I was!"

Said girl was gaping at her friend, speechless. She didn't even notice Jay until he came up behind them both, and slung his arms around them.

"More importantly, how did you get out? Man, you must've kicked so much ass!"

Juno shook her head, and stepped away from them quickly, horrified. Of all the people she could've possibly run into..!

"This is bad. Okay, listen, you two have to leave right now. It's not safe for you to be around me right now, I didn't exactly **escape**, okay? Please just trust me, the police will catch up to us eventually."

Aveline frowned, not understanding why Juno was acting so strangely, why she was **willingly** going back to her captor. She stepped forward and took her friend's hand, attempting to tug her in the direction from which they'd come.

"He probably hit your head and brainwashed you or something, c'mon we have to get you to a hospital, and then the poli-"

"No!" The raven haired girl wretched her hand free, retreating a couple steps. She hated seeing Aveline's wounded expression, but it was necessary.

"I'm trying to protect you! You have to understand, I'd love nothing more than to get away from that bastard, but your lives are on the line here!"

In the midst of her desperate explanation, Jay had taken a good look at her face, and noticed several things. She didn't look haggard, and those clothes were new; she was still being fed and taken care of as far as he could see. However…

"Why are your lips swollen?"

She froze.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

**(I'm so sorry for the lateness, I've had a lot on my plate. It's a little short, but I hope you like it! There'll be more Joker/Juno/Batman action next chapter. Thoughts?)**


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